The chief executive officer of a prominent European tech conference called Web Summit, Paddy Cosgrave, has resigned from his role on Saturday amid backlash for his public statements that suggested Israel was committing war crimes.
A spokesperson for Web Summit, which organizes one of the world’s largest tech conferences every year, said in an e-mailed statement sent to The Associated Press that it will appoint a new CEO, and the conference will go ahead next month in Lisbon as planned.
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Cosgrave, the Irish entrepreneur who is also founder of Web Summit, said in a statement Saturday that his personal comments “have become a distraction from the event, and our team, our sponsors, our startups and the people who attend.”
In his apology, Cosgrave wrote that he “unequivocally” supported Israel’s right to defend itself, adding that “like so many figures globally, I also believe that, in defending itself, Israel should adhere to international law and the Geneva Conventions – i.e. not commit war crimes.
